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Following is originally from an email by Making Change WalMart Organization.

On Black Friday, you stood with Walmart workers as they went on strike and took bold action to fight against Walmart’s attempts to silence them.

It looks like we have Walmart’s attention!

Last week the company announced that it will provide the opportunity for its workers who want to work full-time to do so and will make schedules more transparent. Inconsistent scheduling and not giving workers the hours they need to get by have placed a huge burden on tens-of-thousands of Walmart workers nationwide. If done right, Walmart’s pledge could have a positive impact on many lives and set an example for other employers.

“I’m so happy and proud our hard work and action has paid off,” said Cindy Murray, a leader of the worker-led Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart). “We won these gains at my store and now we’re winning them across the country.”

This announcement comes as a huge victory in the lives of workers. These changes have been at the heart of OUR Walmart members’ calls since its creation and come on the heels of the largest nationwide strike Walmart had ever seen. Walmart’s response shows that together, we’re doing what many said was impossible – we are changing Walmart!

We hope that you will stand with us as we hold Walmart to this new commitment and continue to call for much needed changes in how the company treats workers throughout its supply chain.

With no budget and just a few weeks to do it, the folks in this town kicked butt.

The city of Troy, Michigan was facing a budget shortfall, and was considering closing the Troy Public Library for lack of funds. Even though the necessary revenues could be raised through a miniscule tax increase, powerful anti-tax groups in the area were organized against it. A vote was scheduled amongst the city’s residents, to shut the library or accept the tax increase, and Leo Burnett Detroit decided to support the library by creating a reverse psychology campaign. Yard signs began appearing that read: “Vote to Close Troy Library on August 2nd – Book Burning Party on August 5th.” No one wants to be a part of a town that burns books, and the outraged citizens of Troy pushed back against the “idiotic book burners” and ultimately supported the tax increase, thus ensuring the library’s survival.

Hartmann: If Obama Doesn’t Want to Lead the Revolution – Young People Will

Anonymous: Occupy The Planet

This is the revolution that they – and even older Americans – hoped for when Barack Obama pledged to “fundamentally change the United States and the world” when he was elected President in 2008. But so far – this pledge has been unfulfilled. Turns out – Barack Obama was not that much of a revolutionary. But ultimately – it was never about him – it was about us – and in particular it was about the young people – because all revolutions – even Reagan‘s – don’t originate from one man – they originate from the people – from the bottom up. From Jefferson to Lincoln – and from FDR to Reagan – these men who presided over great changes in America didn’t create revolutions – they simply seized control of a nation pregnant with revolution and oversaw the transformation – and in some cases guided it. If President Obama discovers his inner revolutionary and steps forward with that voice and message and behavior, he’ll get re-elected – and then he will have to carry forward with a revolution. On the other hand, if President Obama doesn’t want to be a revolutionary – if he doesn’t want to take on the banksters – if he doesn’t take on and actually reverse Reagan’s counter-revolution – that’s fine – because the young people assembled in Manhattan – and all over the nation – will.
It’s already started…

Two weeks ago, when we heard that major online job sites like Monster.com were hosting ads that said the unemployed need not apply, we were outraged.1How are we supposed to solve our employment crisis if the only way to GET a job is to already have one?!

So together, USAction/TrueMajority members gathered more than 26,000 signatures asking these companies to stop hosting help-wanted ads that discriminate against the unemployed. We also ran Facebook ads that targeted their staff and executives asking them to refuse these ads

Well, one of the companies called back, but not with the answer we’d hoped for: Monster.com sent us a “cease and desist” letter, demanding that we stop mentioning them in our campaign.2

These threats are even more frustrating because these corporations can clearly afford it: Revenue in the second quarter at Monster Worldwide Inc. rose 25 percent to $270 million from the prior year.3

And what’s more, they KNOW it’s wrong. When the New York Times first broke the news about these discriminatory ads, Monster responded by saying it actually counsels employers not to discriminate.4

Discrimination against the unemployed ought to be illegal. But until it is, it’s up to companies like Monster to refuse to work with people who practice discrimination – not attack those who speak out about it.

The budget agreement Congress passed this week is a bad deal for our country—especially working people. It will make it even harder to solve our country’s biggest crisis—the jobs crisis.

The AFL-CIO—and the entire labor movement along with our community partners and allies—is committed to putting people back to work. And we’re determined to protect and strengthen workers’ rights so people have the opportunity to get good jobs that provide a pathway to the middle class.

Will you add your voice to our petition and help shift our national debate?

Americans agree—we need jobs. When asked in a poll last week whether Congress and the president should focus on the federal budget deficit or jobs, 67 percent of the public said “jobs.”(1)

America needs to stop wasting time on manufactured political debates that will make our economy worse. According to economists, the recent deal to raise the debt ceiling will undermine economic growth and job creation across the board and make our fragile economy worse.(2)

We need to demand politicians and major media outlets focus on our jobs crisis. And congressional Republicans in particular need to hear that message. Last November, they campaigned on jobs, jobs, jobs. But then, they forced us to waste months on raising the debt ceiling—and finally forced a “solution” to the manufactured debt crisis that will destroy jobs.(1)

The only solution to our jobs crisis is a national jobs strategy.Outside of Washington, job creation is at the top of everyone’s agenda. Only in this topsy-turvy Alice in Wonderland place are long-term deficits more urgent than massive unemployment. We’re years into a jobs crisis with no end in sight. It’s time our leaders and the media started paying attention.

P.S. This August, when members of Congress get back home and away from the Washington, D.C., bubble, AFL-CIO working families activists will show up and demand they work to solve the jobs crisis. And we’ll keep demanding major media outlets cover the jobs crisis in America—and help them understand that we can’t cut our way to prosperity. Will you add your voice?